The Future Stars Series is the initiative between New Balance and Program 15 to elevate the game of baseball by providing amateur baseball players across all economic levels an opportunity to reach their full potential through the training, development, and guidance of former MLB players, scouts, and coaches.

In a grassroots effort to reach as many undiscovered players as possible, New Balance and Program 15 have announced the addition of 22 Regional Directors and Partner Programs to The Future Stars Series.

Regional Directors
Regional Directors will be the single voice for their region to bring players and teams together. They are charged with finding and selecting The Future Stars Series travel baseball teams to play in regional tournaments and to evaluate players for the opportunity to advance to the Super Regionals. Each director is chosen based on their merit and baseball experience as a player or coach and development ability.

Partner Programs
Partner programs are alliances with amateur baseball clubs and training and development facilities throughout North America that will participate in series tournaments and become part of the Future Stars Series and Program15 family.

The following Regional Directors and Partner Programs part of The Future Stars Series.

CANADA
Regional Director
– Sean Travers, Ontario Blue Jays, Mississauga, ON

COLORADO
Partner Program
– Johnny Bess, Colorado West Lookouts Baseball, Colorado Springs, CO

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Regional Director
– California Academy of Baseball, Folsom, CA

Partner Programs
– Darren Nicholson, Hit Lab, Dublin, CA
– Chico Aces, Chico, CA

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Regional Director
– Mike Eaglin, The Factory Baseball, Los Angeles, CA

GEORGIA / NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Regional Director
– Ryan Robinson, Next Level Baseball, Tallahassee, FL

GREAT LAKES
Regional Director
– Greg Blaesing, Andy Zwirchitz: Rhino Baseball, Chicago, IL

Partner Program
– Hensley Baseball, Eau Claire, WI

GULF COAST
Regional Director
– Chris Pool, Louisiana Knights, New Orleans, LA

Partner Program
– Louisiana Legends, Lafayette, LA

MID-ATLANTIC
Regional Director
– Jason Aspito, Director- US Elite Baseball, N Huntingdon, PA

Partner Programs
– Northeast Pride Baseball, Hawley, PA
– Backyard Academy, York, PA

TEXAS
Partner Programs
– Marucci Elite Texas, Houston, TX
– James Bills, University Of Baseball, Leander, TX
– Phenom Baseball, Dallas, TX
– Citius Baseball, Corpus Christ, TX

NEW ENGLAND
Regional Director
– Ed Riley RBI Warriors, Worcester, MA

Partner Program
– New England Ruffnecks, Northboro, MA

NORTHWEST
Regional Director
– Billy Hayes – Showtime Baseball, Vancouver and Seattle, WA

OHIO / INDIANA / MICHIGAN
Regional Director
– Nate Perry – Prospects Baseball Network/Midwest Prospects, Cincinnati, OH

Program 15 President and Director of Development, Jeremy Booth said, “This is an impressive group of men to lead their regions as we move into the next wave of stars. Each member of the alliance is chosen carefully and puts the player ahead of themselves, which is the only way it should be. The collective of this group has already been responsible for dozens of first round draft picks, and thousands of college scholarships for young players and The Future Stars Series will continue to build on that momentum”.

For assistance with connecting teams and players with Regional Directors visit Program15.com

For the latest Future Stars Series updates and announcements follow @ftrstarsseries on Twitter.

To learn more about New Balance baseball, visit http://www.newbalance.com/men/featured/baseball/, and follow @NB_Baseball on Twitter and @Nbbaseball on Instagram.

About Program 15:
Program 15, based in Houston, TX is built on the idea of quieting the noise and helping families to navigate the paths of proper instruction and development plans for all youth players with aspirations of playing baseball beyond high school and select ball levels through the execution of personalized development plans for each player. To learn more about Program 15, please visit http://program15.com. Keep up-to-date with all of the latest Program 15 news and announcements on Twitter @Program15BB.

About New Balance:
New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA has the following mission: Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud to host. New Balance is the only major company to make or assemble more than 4 million pairs of athletic footwear per year in the USA, which represents a limited portion of our US sales. Where the domestic value is at least 70%, we label our shoes Made in the USA. New Balance owns five factories in New England and one in Flimby, U.K. New Balance employs more than 5,000 associates around the globe, and in 2015 reported worldwide sales of $3.72 billion. To learn more about New Balance, please visit www.newbalance.com and for the latest press information please visit http://newbalance.newsmarket.com. Keep up-to-date with all of the latest New Balance news on Twitter @NewBalance and newbalance on Facebook.

Media Contact
Company Name: New Balance
Contact Person: Carrie Kabat
Email: carrie.kabat@newbalance.com
Phone: 617-783-6710
Country: United States
Website: http://newbalance.com

The Future Stars Series nationwide search for amateur baseball talent is the initiative between New Balance and Program 15 to elevate the game of baseball by providing players across all economic levels an opportunity to reach their full potential through the training, development, and guidance of former MLB players, scouts, and coaches.

The Fall 2016 Future Stars Series camps and development sessions are open to all amateur high school aged players. Camps for players in the 10-14 age group will be added for the Spring 2017 sessions.

Players attending a Future Stars Series event will receive a full scouting report, developmental feedback and plan to assist in their long-term growth from scouts who have signed Major League players. Each player will also be evaluated for a potential invitation to participate in the National Trials and opportunity to be selected as a member of the National Team to play in an International World Series scheduled for the Summer of 2017 in Houston, TX.

The Future Stars Series Skills and Evaluation Camps consist of the following two-day combine structure.

Saturday:
Tools testing by position
Athletic strength and conditioning testing with instruction
Defensive skill player development by position
Hitting: on field and in Cages with instruction
Pitchers: arm care, long toss, PFP’s, pitching fundamentals, defensive instruction

Sunday:
Mental skills
Games

Each Future Stars Series camp is led and attended by the Program 15 National Staff of Major League Veteran players, scouts and coaches including Jeremy Booth, Jesse Barfield, Trenidad Hubbard, Benji Gil, Delwyn Young, Chuck McElroy, Chip Ambres, Butch Baccala, Adam Czjakowski and others.

Program 15 President and Director of Development, Jeremy Booth stated, “Our program is specifically designed to develop each individual player’s ability to his full potential, then to get that player the results that their ability deserves. Our commitment is the same, whether it’s a young man with the desire to move from select ball to playing in high school, from high school to being recruited by a Division 1 college or from college to MLB draft pick.”

The Future Stars Series Skills and Evaluation Camps are hosted by a selected regional college program or summer league and will serve as a recruiting showcase opportunity as well.

Fall 2016 Dates and Cities for High School Aged Players
Houston – 10/1-2 – Sam Houston State University and Baseball USA
Boston – 10/8-9 – Brockton Rox Stadium
Seattle – 10/15-16 – University of Washington
Atlanta – 10/23-24 – Homeplate Chili Dogs Complex
San Francisco – 10/29-30 – University of San Francisco
Phoenix – 11/5-6 – Grand Canyon University‎
New Orleans – 11/12-13 – University of New Orleans
Los Angeles – 11/19-20 – University of Southern California and East LA Community College
Miami – 12/3-4 – Florida International University
Dallas – 12/10-11 – Dallas Baptist University
Orlando – 12/17-18 – University of Central Florida

For information and to register, visit the Future Stars page at Program15.com/future-stars-series

For the latest Future Stars Series updates and announcements follow @ftrstarsseries on Twitter.

To learn more about New Balance baseball, visit http://www.newbalance.com/men/featured/baseball/, and follow @NB_Baseball on Twitter and @Nbbaseball on Instagram.

About Program 15:
Program 15, based in Houston, TX is built with the idea of quieting the noise and helping families to navigate the paths of proper instruction and development plans for all youth players with aspirations of playing baseball beyond high school and select ball levels through the execution of personalized development plans for each player. To learn more about Program 15, please visit http://program15.com. Keep up-to-date with all of the latest Program 15 news and announcements on Twitter @Program15BB.

About New Balance:
New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA has the following mission: Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud to host. New Balance is the only major company to make or assemble more than 4 million pairs of athletic footwear per year in the USA, which represents a limited portion of our US sales. Where the domestic value is at least 70%, we label our shoes Made in the USA. New Balance owns five factories in New England and one in Flimby, U.K. New Balance employs more than 5,000 associates around the globe, and in 2015 reported worldwide sales of $3.72 billion. To learn more about New Balance, please visit www.newbalance.com and for the latest press information please visit http://newbalance.newsmarket.com. Keep up-to-date with all of the latest New Balance news on Twitter @NewBalance and newbalance on Facebook.

Media Contact
Company Name: New Balance
Contact Person: Carrie Kabat
Email: carrie.kabat@newbalance.com
Phone: 617-783-6710
Country: United States
Website: http://newbalance.com

The Future Stars Series is part of Program 15’s goal of “Developing the Stars of Tomorrow”, and aligns with both organizations’ mission to “Change the Game” of baseball both on and off-field. With this new initiative, these two industry innovators are coming together to elevate the game of baseball by providing players across all economic levels an opportunity to reach their full potential through the training, development, and guidance of former MLB players, scouts, and coaches.

Based out of the Marucci Houston 40,000 square foot indoor training facility at Baseball USA in Houston, TX; Program 15 boasts a faculty and staff that includes multiple Major League All-Stars and World Series veterans including former MLB Vice President of On-Field Discipline as well as Houston Astros and New York Yankees General Manager, Bob Watson.

“Our program is specifically designed to develop each individual player’s ability to his full potential, then to get that player the results that their ability deserves”, says Program 15 President and Director of Development, Jeremy Booth. “Our commitment is the same, whether it’s a young man with the desire to move from select ball to playing in high school, from high school to being recruited by a Division 1 college or from college to MLB draft pick.”

Recognizing the staggering odds for an amateur player to reach the Major Leagues, New Balance and Program 15 are committed to providing every player in the program with the opportunity to grow and reach a level of achievement matching their highest potential. While that may not be enough to secure an MLB contract, it can translate into playing baseball at the high school level as well as the opportunity to earn scholarships from Junior College to Division 1 University Baseball programs, something that has been out of reach for many of these young men until now.

To make these opportunities economically accessible to more players, Future Stars Series will help families focus their financial resources to the level of baseball that best matches the individual player’s potential. New Balance will contribute to this effort by providing baseball and training apparel and footwear to all athletes as they participate in Program 15 training and competition.

Future Stars Series is not just about discovering and developing the MLB Heroes of tomorrow, it’s about discovering and developing the leaders of tomorrow, by creating real opportunities where they don’t exist today: opportunities for an education, opportunities for a future.

In a grassroots effort to reach as many undiscovered players as possible, Future Stars Series skills and evaluation camps along with program tryouts will be held at 16 regional satellite locations across the United States and one in Canada. Dates and locations to be announced.

For the latest Future Stars Series updates and announcements follow @ftrstarsseries on Twitter.

To learn more about New Balance baseball, visit http://www.newbalance.com/men/featured/baseball/, and follow @NB_Baseball on Twitter and @Nbbaseball on Instagram.

About Program 15:
Program 15, based in Houston, TX is built with the idea of quieting the noise and helping families to navigate the paths of proper instruction and development plans for all youth players with aspirations of playing baseball beyond high school and select ball levels through the execution of personalized development plans for each player. To learn more about Program 15, please visit http://program15.com. Keep up-to-date with all of the latest Program 15 news and announcements on Twitter @Program15BB.

About New Balance:
New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA has the following mission: Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud to host. New Balance is the only major company to make or assemble more than 4 million pairs of athletic footwear per year in the USA, which represents a limited portion of our US sales. Where the domestic value is at least 70%, we label our shoes Made in the USA. New Balance owns five factories in New England and one in Flimby, U.K. New Balance employs more than 5,000 associates around the globe, and in 2015 reported worldwide sales of $3.72 billion. To learn more about New Balance, please visit www.newbalance.com and for the latest press information please visit http://newbalance.newsmarket.com. Keep up-to-date with all of the latest New Balance news on Twitter @NewBalance and newbalance on Facebook.

Media Contact
Company Name: New Balance
Contact Person: Carrie Kabat
Email: carrie.kabat@newbalance.com
Phone: 617-783-6710
Country: United States
Website: http://newbalance.com

Program 15 President and Director of Development, Jeremy Booth, officially announced the following appointments to the organization’s growing faculty and staff of MLB veterans.

Adam Czajkowski – Assistant Director of Baseball Operations
Czajkowski’s 6 years of scouting and player development experience with the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates adds a powerful set of eyes and toolset to the evaluation component of Program 15. His deep understanding of the player evaluation, report writing and transitions process used by so many professional and college organizations is valued across the country.

Booth said, “Adam has been my right hand from the beginning and an invaluable asset as far as growing Program 15 into what it’s become.”

Benji Gil – National Infield Coordinator
A first round draft pick, Gil made his Major League Baseball debut with the Texas Rangers in 1993 and was a member of the 2002 World Series Champions Anaheim Angels.

Booth said, “Benji has a wealth of knowledge and is one of those people you love to sit back and just watch and listen. He’s a renowned utility infielder and excellent defender who understands the building blocks of what a player needs today and how to grow them tomorrow.”

Trenidad Hubbard – National Field Coordinator
With over twenty years in professional baseball, Trenidad Hubbard’s reputation as a baseball expert is backed by his experience as a player, including eleven years in the Majors, then transitioning to Outfield and Baserunning Coordinator.

Booth stated, “Hub’s done it all. He’s played infield, he’s caught, he’s incredible in the outfield, which allows him to see the game in different ways at all different positions. As someone who had to grind his way to the big leagues, Trenidad understands building players; he understands a step at a time; he understands progression. He’s also one of the most knowledgeable, articulate and passionate men I’ve ever been around and I’m confident he’ll be a tremendous asset to what Program 15 is doing nationally.”

Dr. Kevin McGovern – National Director of Sports Medicine
Dr. McGovern is an expert in the field of human movement and the inventor of G.A.M.E.(Graded Active Movement Exam), which quantifies human movement dysfunction and has been used in the fields of Physical Therapy, Occupational Health, and Sports Performance.

In addition to professional baseball players, Dr. McGovern has had the pleasure of working with NCAA, NAIA, USA Women’s Hockey, USA Judo, Bellator Fighting Championship, and World Wrestling Entertainment.

Booth explained, “I met Dr. McGovern when I had a partial tear of my UCL, now 12 years ago. He fixed me and had me back on the field in 6 weeks throwing harder than ever before. Program 15 is committed to helping our players grow properly and, for me, Dr. McGovern was the only choice to step into the role of National Director of Sports Medicine.”

Adam Dunn – Hitting Consultant
The New Caney High School alumni and two-time MLB All-Star made his MLB debut in July 2001 and set a National League rookie record in August by hitting 12 home runs in a single month. He is also just the 50th player in MLB history to hit 400 career home runs.

“When Adam saw what we were doing and he was excited about where Program 15 is headed with player development. We both knew he should be involved. To learn from Adam’s knowledge and experience, we’re talking about a guy who hit 462 home runs in the big leagues, it’s just a tremendous opportunity and benefit that we are proud to provide our players,” Booth said.

Tom O’Hara – Vice President and COO
As a Katy, TX native and well respected in the local baseball-rich community, O’Hara has been an integral part of building Program 15 on the business side and will run the daily business operations, both locally and across the country.

Booth said, “Tom and I met when his son Beau, who is now enrolling at the University of Texas, came to me because he wasn’t achieving results through the traditional process. We were able to help him develop and grow as a unit into the player he is today and Tom has been instrumental in helping us understand how we can best serve the community.”

James Gamble – Director of Tournaments
As a professional scout and Founder of Global Scouting Bureau, Gamble has assisted thousands of athletes to advance with direct placement to Colleges and Professional Teams worldwide.

Booth said, “James has coached and scouted players around the world, from the US to Korea, Mexico, Italy and is responsible for signing several players who have been picked up by teams like the Yankees, Devil Rays, and Pirates. We are thrilled to have a guy who’s earned the level of respect and relationships with scouts and coaches as James come onboard.”

Program 15 is built with the idea of quieting the noise and navigating the paths of proper instruction and development plans for all youth players and their families with aspirations of playing baseball beyond high school and select ball levels.

Program 15, innovators in baseball player development and training for all ages, and Marucci Houston, one of the top amateur baseball programs in the country, have announced a strategic collaboration that will provide the most comprehensive player development and training experience available.

Jeremy Booth, President and Director of Development for Program 15, says of the collaboration, “Program 15 and Marucci don’t just complement each other, this combination will exponentially strengthen the core value of the two organizations by allowing us each to focus on what we do best.”

What Program 15 does best is player development at an individual level. They don’t organize travel teams, manage rosters, or set lineups. Booth and his organization have built a reputation for their ability to develop top baseball talent of all ages by focusing on the individual player.

Booth explains why this unique system attracts so many serious athletes, “The benchmark for our success is not about putting the best nine guys on the field to win a tournament and collect another trophy. Our players don’t call us ‘coach,’ because we’re not their coach, we don’t get involved with coaching their teams. Our mission is to develop each individual player’s ability to his full potential, then to get that player the results that their ability deserves. Our commitment is the same, whether it’s a young man with the desire to move from select ball to playing in high school, from high school to being recruited by a Division 1 college or from college to MLB draft pick.”

Program 15 looks at each player through individual Scouting evaluations, then applies Major League teaching based on those evaluations, which goes much deeper than learning how to swing a bat a certain way or how to throw a changeup. With a faculty and advisory team of former Major League players, including Booth’s experience as a player and MLB Scout, Program 15 is in a league of its own when it comes to player development.

During a recent interview with Talking Stros Radio Show, Booth detailed his process, saying, “We start with the scouting evaluation of the player and we grow him into his role. Scouting evaluation, it takes many different things to do it. It takes physical analysis, it takes athletic analysis, it takes baseball analysis with tools and how they turn into skills. That changes at each particular level. The beauty of our staff and our goals, we’re able to give families a step-by-step basis of what they should be seeing out of their players. That helps these kids grow into who they want to be and hopefully impacts lives.”

In contrast to Program 15’s focus on the individual, Marucci Baseball is one of the most recognized and respected organizations for developing young players within a team environment, backed by the experience and guidance, both on and off the field, from Major League talent including MLB All-Star Adam Dunn.

According to Booth, this contrast is what makes the teaming of the two organizations so valuable for the players. “Baseball USA is a Houston Landmark, and Marucci has done an outstanding job of establishing it as an elite destination for youth and high school baseball teams. These guys do an incredible job giving young, talented players the opportunity to put their abilities to work in a team environment, and I am looking forward to working very closely with the Marucci staff to impact the game of baseball. As Marucci says ‘honor the game,’ we say ‘change the game.’ We’re working together to make sure we achieve those goals. The ideology lines up very well”.

Marucci Houston’s general manager, Chris Schultea, echoes Booth’s sentiments, “When Jeremy first reached out to us, we immediately felt the synergy between the two programs. We both are big believers in development and not playing the game year-round. There needs to be some downtime, which falls in place for Program 15 for the training and the downtime and the recovery time. Marucci Houston believes in development first, rather than win at all cost, so we felt that by pairing both programs together, now having them under one roof would be a marriage made in heaven.”

It’s easy to understand why the combination of Marucci Houston and Program 15 under one roof now has some Major League veterans and local sports media referring to the 40,000 square foot indoor training facility at Baseball USA as ‘Prospect City.’

To hear Jeremy Booth’s full Talking Stros interview visit: http://www.program15.com/climbing-tal-s-hill
To learn more about Program 15 visit: http://program15.com
To learn more about Marucci Houston / Baseball USA visit: http://maruccielitehouston.net

Jeremy Booth, President of Program 15, has officially confirmed reports that three Major League Baseball veterans have been tapped to play key roles in the highly anticipated expansion of the Houston-based Baseball Player Development operation.

Chuck McElroy has joined Program 15 as National Pitching Coordinator. McElroy is a 12 year veteran of the Major Leagues including time with the Phillies, Cubs, Reds, Angels, Rockies, Orioles, White Sox, and Padres.

Booth stated, “I’m thrilled to have a proven winner and renowned teacher like Chuck McElroy come on board.  The tenacity and passion that Chuck brings from his playing career have molded so many young players into Champions”.

Joining Program 15 as Hitting Coordinator is 2004 Major League All-Star Ken Harvey. The former first baseman was the Kansas City Royals only player selected to the 2004 American League All-Star roster where he shared the dugout with some of the decade’s biggest names, including David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriquez, Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter.  

“Having a player of Ken’s caliber on the P15 faculty is just one of the things that set us apart, it’s what sets our players apart. Learning from the highest level of experience versus theory is a rare opportunity and an experience that our young men will never forget”, Booth exclaimed.

One of the strongest testaments to Booth’s reputation and commitment to Program 15 came with the announcement that former MLB Vice President of On-Field Discipline, Bob Watson, has stepped into the role of Special Assistant to the President, Jeremy Booth.

Watson’s impressive career spans 50 years, including 19 years as a player. He made his MLB debut in 1966 with the Houston Astros, where he became a fan favorite and represented the team in two all star games over the next 13 years. He rounded out his playing career with the Red Sox, Braves and Yankees.  He would later take on the role as General Manager of the Houston Astros and New York Yankees, where he won the World Series in 1996.

After winning the World Title, Watson joined the MLB commissioner’s office as the VP of On-Field Discipline and built USA Baseball from the ground up.  Although he retired  from both posts in 2011, Watson continues to be active in both the MLB Players and Alumni Associations.

Upon revealing Watson’s role with Program 15, Booth said, “We are extremely fortunate to have Bob Watson, the man who many credit with building the Yankees empire, helping us in our mission. It’s not often that kids at the high school or even college levels have the chance to benefit from this kind of track record. Having access to Bob’s experience and desire to impact all levels of today’s player through proper development and scouting really makes what we are doing at Program 15 unparalleled”.

With the additions of Bob Watson, Chuck McElroy, and Ken Harvey to the Program 15 family, Jeremy Booth’s vision of changing the face of Baseball Player Development has taken a giant leap in becoming a reality.

For more information about Program 15 visit http://program15.com